Monday, February 11, 2013

OUR LOVE STORY 

It being Valentines week and all, i decided i would talk about McKay and i's love story. It can be a little confusing so i'll try to keep it simple...
McKay and i were both going to school at LDS Business College in Salt Lake City. Every Tuesday, LDSBC hosts a devotional. One day when i was at devotional, McKay noticed me, thought i was cute, and he wanted to take me out. He decided he didn't want to do it the "normal" way and just come up to me to ask me for my number, so he decided he would wait. He eventually noticed that we had a few mutual friends, Bailey (my roommate at the time) and our friend Josh. McKay asked Josh to set us up on a "blind"-date, and to make sure that i didn't know that he knew who i was (so as to avoid looking like a stalker). Josh told me he had someone named McKay that he wanted to set me up on a date with, and for a few weeks i was always busy and could never go. One day i came back to my apartment from class and my roommate, Bailey had our friend Alyssa over. Alyssa was talking about some guy that she really liked and kept going on about how amazing and attractive he was. i was curious to know who it was so i asked and she said his name was McKay Meyer. At first i thought nothing of it, but in a moment i realized, that was the guy that Josh had been trying to set me up on a blind-date with. i told Alyssa about Josh's plan and the first thing she said was, "don't go!". She told me that they really liked each other and she begged me not to go out with him. i was totally o.k. with it since i didn't even know who McKay was at the time so i told her i wouldn't go. After that, Josh kept bugging me to go out with McKay. I kept telling him no and that he and Alyssa really liked each other and i wouldn't do that to her. Josh told me that McKay didn't like her, but i didn't believe him. Then, one night i was at my apartment and i got a call from McKay asking me if i wanted to go out with him on Friday night to a Jazz game. i didn't know what to say. i didn't want to be rude, and i had never been to a Jazz game before so i told him i would go with him. As soon as i got off the phone i told Bailey, "Don't tell Alyssa." i thought that it would just be one date and nothing would come of it. She promised she wouldn't tell and was super excited for me to go with him. Friday rolled around and he picked me up for the date. The whole night we talked and laughed and just got along so well. We had amazing seats, but we barely watched the game. When the night was over, he dropped me off at my apartment and i went upstairs to talk to Bailey. She asked me how it went and i was sort of hesitant to say it, but i really wanted to go on a second date with him. McKay and i were sort of inseparable after that. We kept hanging out and going on dates together. Eventually we had our first kiss, then became official, then we told each other that we love each other, and before i knew it, we were in Vegas and McKay told me that he wanted to marry me! i was not expecting it at all, but i felt so calm about it. i knew that i wanted him in my life. 
The day after McKay told me that he wanted to marry me he had to fly back to Salt Lake for work and i wasn't going back for another week and a half. We would talk on the phone or skype every night and we were going crazy not seeing each other. About 5 days later McKay surprised me and bought a plane ticket to Vegas. My parents were in on it and told me that we were going out to dinner, but instead of driving to the restaurant, they drove to the airport. i didn't know what was going on, but then i saw McKay standing there with a big smile on his face. i jumped out of the car and ran to him. It was the best surprise ever. We all went out to dinner that night and then spent a wonderful rest of the week together in Las Vegas ring shopping, going out to eat, swimming, and spending time with my family before we had to drive home. Once we got back to Salt Lake, i knew it was only a matter of time before he would propose. One night we went on a date to Benihanas, and after we ate we walked outside and there was a horse-drawn carriage waiting for us. I had always wanted to ride one of those downtown. We got in, and the carriage took us down "memory lane". We drove past all of these places that we had been on dates together. Then the carriage took us to Memorial Grove. McKay helped me out of the carriage and we walked around the beautiful park to this small cathedral-like building on a small hill. We walked up the stairs to see if we could go inside. as we got higher up the stairs i started noticing small tea-light candles lining the staircase. i looked up and at the top of the steps i saw a large bouquet of roses, chocolates, m&m's (one for everyday until the wedding), a book that McKay had put together from his journal entries from the first day that he saw me in devotional up until the night before he proposed, and in the center was the ring propped up on a pedestal. the minute i saw it i gasped. McKay bent down on one knee, took the ring and asked me if i would marry him. With tears in my eyes, i told him yes. His family and my family came out from their hiding spots where they were taking paparazzi pictures of the moment and we all cried and hugged and then left to his family's house for an engagement party. It was one of the best nights of my life. i was so happy to be getting married to the most wonderful, selfless, handsome man i had ever met, and this was just the beginning of our love story. Our Love story continues every day and the love i have for this man just gets stronger and stronger. I am so thankful that God has blessed me with McKay, and that he has blessed us all with the ability to love and be loved.

"Love is a force more formidable than any other. It is invisible- it cannot be seen or measured, yet it is powerful enough to transform you in a moment, and offer you more joy than any material possession could."
-Barbara de Angelis


Have a Happy Valentine's week everyone!